Spring. New beginnings, rebirth, beautiful bluebells in the woods and of course.... cleaning.

Sigh. Why would I want to talk about cleaning when that’s pretty much all I seem to do (goes with the territory with three kids I guess) and it’s one of my top five worst past times. Actually, no, wait, it’s so bad it’s probably all of my top five at the same time.

Well, don’t be alarmed because actually it’s spiritual spring cleaning I wanted to talk about - and I’m not just talking about hoovering in my funky unicorn slippers (although they are deeply spiritual).

Discarding negative energy and opening ourselves up to new vibrant positivity will bring enthusiasm and opportunity. That really sounds like a bad fortune cookie but it’s true. Unlike real life cleaning where a rogue Nutella mark can seem to magically appear five minutes after mopping, a spiritual spring clean can bring eternal benefits!

Golden rule - don’t be afraid to change things. Sometimes, in real life cleaning, we have to really search for the dust and dirt. We need to move things that we don’t normally move, make an effort to climb up to see shelves and pull back rugs! The same applies here. We can often perceive ourselves to be in a mess when in reality the clutter that’s holding us back is just in our minds.

For example, is your career that vase that just sits there gathering dust? Move that vase - it might look better somewhere new.

Once you’ve made the effort to change things around it would be great to polish everything and make it gleam! Set the standard high. Be the best at everything you do. There’s no reason why the whole of you can’t be sparkling with confidence.

The best way to achieve an energy cleanse is from within. Have you ever tried meditation?

A lot is said about meditation and it can often sound overly complicated but let me tell you, you won’t be needing a set of Tibetan singing bowls carved from the thighs of ancient space dragons; although if you have these knock yourself out (and then maybe stick them on eBay).

Just find a quiet space, sit or lay down, close your eyes and focus on your breath. Allow any thoughts to flow through you - try not to dwell on any of these thoughts just let them travel past. Ok, that’s tricky but with practice it’s totally possible. The peace that this process provides can give you clarity.

If you find it difficult to detach, try relaxing music (plinky plonky music is the technical term we holistic therapists use) or try repeating a mantra - a sentence or phrase - usually short so it’s easy to say. Concentrate on the phrase; say it over and over until all there is in your mind is the mantra. Make it something you really believe. My favourite is ‘expect nothing and appreciate everything’. It seems to roll off the tongue and it resonates with me.

Others go for walks and find peace in nature. We are so lucky in this country to have such beautiful surroundings to inspire and motivate us. It’s almost tailor made for spiritual renewal work.

However you clean - remember that anything is possible in this life and real lasting change always starts from within.

Oh, and also, now you’re fully versed in spiritual spring cleaning you won’t be lying when you tell everyone how much cleaning you’ve done this week :)